This resounded deeply with me as I truly feel that I, and most of my peers, are participants in this game of school. I would often find myself just doing things to get a grade, and I honestly had no idea what was going on. I could do the calculation and I would know the formula; however, I had little understanding of what it meant. Often in English classes, most of the other students wouldn't even do the assigned reading. Rather, they would find summaries of chapters online and use this to pass, even excel on reading quizzes, without ever forming a deeper understanding of what the text was about.
I want to be able to say that I felt shocked, appalled, or even mildly surprised by what I was reading, but I can't. Everything I read simply reaffirmed my feelings towards school that I have been harboring for years. There were a few quotes in particular that caught my attention. The first one was "by the middle of first grade, they've already figured out that school - or at least homework - is a trick, something to learn to get around". This stood out to me because even at an early age, students are beginning to form the opinion that learning is not something that is worth their time. It is sad because during these early years, children form these opinions that will likely remain throughout their lives, and if they believe that learning is unimportant, then their actions will reflect that. Another quote that stood out to me was "too many students get their diplomas by being there". As depressing as this sounds, I believe that it is true. Regardless of how often this occurs, any amount of students graduating not having learned anything is too many.
I want to be able to say that I felt shocked, appalled, or even mildly surprised by what I was reading, but I can't. Everything I read simply reaffirmed my feelings towards school that I have been harboring for years. There were a few quotes in particular that caught my attention. The first one was "by the middle of first grade, they've already figured out that school - or at least homework - is a trick, something to learn to get around". This stood out to me because even at an early age, students are beginning to form the opinion that learning is not something that is worth their time. It is sad because during these early years, children form these opinions that will likely remain throughout their lives, and if they believe that learning is unimportant, then their actions will reflect that. Another quote that stood out to me was "too many students get their diplomas by being there". As depressing as this sounds, I believe that it is true. Regardless of how often this occurs, any amount of students graduating not having learned anything is too many.